Disappeared

Do you understand why you are here?

No.

It’s not because you disagree with the President.

Okay?

It’s not because you have protested against his policies.

I’m listening.

It’s not because you do not speak English or that your skin is of a darker hue.

Go on.

It’s not even because you are undocumented.

I am documented. I’m a natural born citizen of this country. I even have a passport & enhanced ID.

What country? Where do you think you are? At any rate, not anymore.

Do tell.

Do you know why you are here?

Why don’t you tell me?

Because I want to know that you understand. Parroting a response is not enough. I need you to get it, to figure it out on your own so that it becomes deeply embedded in your psyche, never to be forgotten.

…?

….

May I ask you a question?

You just did. But go ahead, ask another.

Where is here?

That’s immaterial. For all intents & purposes, you are simply with me in this cell. Nothing more exists for you.

My home still exists for me.

Not anymore.

My family exists. You cannot make me forget them.

I assure you that it will not be long before everyone & everywhere you have ever known will seem nothing more than a long-forgotten dream.

You cannot make me abandon hope.

You are already wavering. Oh, you might deny it, but even now you are beginning to wonder. Is this real? A dream? Just a nightmare?

Is it?

See, I told you so. But if this is a dream, I promise it is one from which you will never awaken.

How can you know that?

Because as far as you’re concerned, I am God. It’s just you & me. There is no one else, nor shall there evermore be.

If it’s just the two of us, how do you know I’m not God?

Because for me there are other cells, entire worlds for me to visit, explore &/or conquer. For you, this is it. I exist. You do not.

I exist! I’m here, living, breathing & talking with you.

Are you sure about that?

Yes!

Really? That’s interesting. Let me just make a note of that.

What are you writing?

Nothing that concerns you.

…?

….

You know you won’t get away with this.

Fascinating. What makes you think that?

My family will come looking for me. I’m guessing they’ve hired lawyers & probably even a private investigator as soon as they found out I was missing.

Ah yes. They have been sniffing around. Louisiana. The detention center in Torrance County, New Mexico. All over Florida. Guantanamo Bay. Funny how the U. S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement computer systems never seem to keep up. Even so, they can quite honestly say that you’re not there.

Because I’m here?

If you say so. Assuming that’s true, have you figured out why?

Not a clue. Enlighten me.

Ah my little earthworm, enlightenment must come from within.

…?

….

Because I am?

You just tossed that one out there, didn’t you? Still, you’re on the right track, just wrong direction. I am.

…?

….

And…, I am not?

Very good! That wasn’t so hard, now, was it?

Are you kidding me?

Not at all. I am. You’re not. Simple as that.

In other words, “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.”

Pretty much. So, do you understand why you are here?

I thought I wasn’t.

Excellent! I told them we didn’t need to do any kind of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, or thumbscrews on you. Just turn out the lights, lock the door & throw away the key. That’s all we ever really need do.

You still won’t get away with it.

Hah! Shows how little you know. We’ve been doing it for decades. Others have been doing it for centuries, even millennia.

The bodies always turn up eventually.

Do they? Are you sure about that?

You already admitted they’re looking for me.

Of course. It’s important that they do.

Why?

So they get the message.

…!

Ah, that was very clever of you, getting a clue from me as to why you’re here.

Or not here.

Of course. But I’ll indulge you just a bit. Think about what happens with them as they search for you.

They find me. And they find you.

Not even close. Remember, we’ve been doing this for a long time. We’ve gotten rather good at it.

They take you to court, force you to give me up.

They’ll try. They usually do. But even when the courts agree with them, what are they going to do? We were beyond their jurisdiction long before our beloved demagogue created a right-wing super majority on the Supreme Court granting him carte blanche for his agenda & free rein for ours.

They won’t give up seeking justice for me.

Maybe not. But their voices will become ever weaker until they are nothing more than a bit of background noise everyone else ignores. And their passion will become increasingly resigned to your absence. But there’s still something you’re missing.

…?

They’ll become distracted, their attention averted from anything & everything about which you cared. More than that, though they might not admit it to themselves, they will become fearful…,

…?

….

…that the same thing could happen to them if they’re not careful. But that won’t dissuade them!

But it will dissuade others. So long as they are allowed to remain comfortable & believe themselves safe, others will not pick up your banner, they’ll actually become rather annoyed by any reference to it. To the vast majority of the world…,

…I will simply cease to be.

Precisely!

Someone will find me. They will find this place. They will find you. Eventually, everything will become known.

Perhaps. But it won’t matter. Because should they come inquiring…,

…I’m not here. So that's it? I'm here for crowd control? Because it serves his purposes?

But you're not here. You never were & never will be. Ready for supper? The rice isn’t bad, though the navy bean soup could use a bit of something. Perhaps ground black pepper & a little vinegar.